Vail Town Council likely to hike parking fees, reduce free-parking time for the 2017-18 ski season

• The cost to park between 90 minutes and 2 hours would be $5. The cost to park between 2 and 3 hours would decrease to $10 from the current $15. The cost to park 3 to 4 hours would remain at the current $20, while the cost to park between 4 and 15 hours would rise to $30 from the current $25.

• Expect the charge to park between 15 and 24 hours to increase from $25 to $40 or more.

• There could be a serious effort to stop “looping.”

• The Pink parking pass price could double, from $150 to $300.

VAIL — For nearly a decade, ski-season prices have remained stable in the town’s parking structures. This is likely to change for the season to come.

Vail’s Parking and Transportation Task Force, a group of residents, business owners and town officials, has been working since the summer to evaluate parking demand, supply and pricing.

The Vail Town Council saw the results of that work at its Tuesday, Sept. 19 meeting. While the council didn’t make any hard decisions following the presentation, members gave a clear signal that it’s probably time to change parking rates.

While the town charges for parking, those charges aren’t meant to generate profits. Rather, the charges help pay for the town’s parking structure operations and some of the town’s free bus service.

The point, council member Greg Moffet said, is to influence the behavior of locals and guests through the age-old laws of supply and demand.

That’s why Vail residents can get a 50 percent discount on parking rates from Sunday through Thursday during ski season (county residents get a 40 percent break). On weekends, when there’s more demand for parking, everyone pays the same rates.

“It’s all about not using your car,” Mayor Dave Chapin said.

That’s going to become more important over the next few years as Vail Health’s parking structure is torn down as part of the facility’s long-term renovation program.

Alternatives to driving

The task force has recommended that the town start marketing alternatives including walking, ride-sharing and, of course, transit use.

While prices are almost sure to increase, how much pass and daily rates rise is up to the council.

There was some debate among members about both pass prices and per-day prices.

The task force’s recommendation is to charge $40 for a 15- to 24-hour ski-season stay in one of the town’s two parking structures. That’s up from the current $25.

“Why not 60?,” Moffet asked, adding that the town’s charge for a full-day stay should match or exceed that of local hotels. Some hotels recommend guests park in the structures in order to save a bit on their lodging bills.

On the other hand, council member Jenn Bruno said a $40 charge is probably sufficient.

“I don’t want to charge 2022 prices,” Bruno said, adding she’d like to see vouchers for businesses to offer their customers. Customers might linger longer in town if they can get a break on their parking fees, she said.

Then there’s the matter of people parking overnight so they don’t drive drunk. Allowances are made for those users now, and council members said they want that policy to continue.

Perhaps the most controversial increases will be for the town’s parking pass program, and reducing the length of time people can park for free in the structures.

For the past several years, people have been able to park free for two hours. The task force has recommended dropping that free-parking period to 90 minutes. It would costs users $5 to park between 1.5 and 2 hours. The recommendations also include a decrease in the cost to park between 2 and 3 hours, from the current $15 down to $10. Below is the full breakdown. Click here to read the task force’s memo to the council.

Reducing looping

The reduction would come as a way to discourage “looping” in the structures by employees. Many employees now leave the structures, then drive right back in, in order to avoid paying for parking.

Chapin said the problem is particularly bad in the Vail Village structure, where people can drive through the ticket booth on the east side, and drive right back to the entry point to the west.

That problem may be solved by putting solid pylons, not cones between the exit and entrance.

Changing pass prices may also generate some complaints. The task force has recommended raising the price of the Pink pass — the lowest-priced town pass that allows parking at Ford Park and the town’s soccer fields — from $150 to $300.

While council member Jen Mason said that increase will be a hardship for some users, council member Dick Cleveland said the increase might push some users to take the bus.